Analyzing my meze menu one day, I realized that we didn’t offer any sausage. I thought it might be fun to follow the classic charcuterie techniques and make a Greek-flavored sausage that we could grill. Great sausage is easy to make if you follow a couple of rules. The ingredients and the equipment must be ice-cold 34F is perfect , but not frozen. A bit of ice in the mix keeps the fat firm and the sausage from getting mushy

The meat is cubed and then marinated so that it absorbs the maximum amount of flavor before being ground and stuffed.

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless pork butt, cut into large ice
• 1 pound boneless lamb chuck, cut into large dice
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons grated orange zest
• 2 tablespoons coarse salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely ground toasted fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground toasted coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground toasted black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Pinch of Aleppo pepper or cayenne
• 3 ounces crushed ice which is about 1/2 cup

1. Combine the meats in a mixing bowl. Add the bay leaf, parsley, orange zest, salt, fennel, coriander, peppercorns, garlic, mint, olive oil, sugar, and Aleppo pepper and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours.
2. Set up either a meat grinder or a heavy duty electric mixer fitted with the medium meat-grinding attachment.
3. Make an ice-water bath in a large bowl. Place a smaller bowl in the center of the ice water bath. Place the bath under the meat grinder so that the ground meat mixture will fall into the bowl sitting in the center.
4. Remove the meat from the refrigerator. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the crushed ice. The ice, combined with the ice-water bath, will keep the meat ice-cold, which will help bind the mixture. Immediately pass the meat mixture through the grinder into the bowl.
5. When all of the meat has been ground, stir it with a wooden spoon to ensure that it is evenly mixed.
6. Using the sausage-making attachment on the mixer, follow the manufacturer’s instructions for making link sausage. If you have other sausage making equipment attach the casing to the tube, closing the end, and run the meat through the body so that it flows into the casing. The meat should be tightly packed into the casing, leaving at least 4 inches of empty casing at the end. If you don’t have sausage-making equipment, fill a pastry bag fitted with a standard large round tip and carefully fill the casing in the same manner.
7. Starting at the closed en, seal off 5-inch links, twisting and pinching at each interval, until you have 10 links, each about 3-1/2 inches long. Tie off the open ends with a firm knot. Wrap the links in plastic and refrigerate for at least 3 hours before grilling, broiling, or roasting.

Posted in Grilled-Recipes